Summary of the Thidrekssaga

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Witig

91

Then Diet­rich called for his weapons. He donned his armour, put his helmet Hildegrim on his head, girded himself with his sword Nagelring, and took his shield with the golden lion on a red field, and took his lance. His horse Falke was brought to him and he mounted, and Falke was a brother of Schimming, Witig's horse, and Rispa, Heime's horse. Then Diet­rich rode forth out of Bern with a large retinue of knights and chiefs. When he exited Bern he found Hildebrand and Witig with a few men. Witig sat fully armed on his horse, and was ready.

Now Heime came to Diet­rich with a bowl full of wine, and said: Drink, mylord, and God grant you victory today and forever. Diet­rich took the bowl, drank, and returned it. Then Hildebrand brought Witig the bowl, but Witig said he should bring the bowl to Diet­rich first and ask him to drink to his Witig's health. Now Hildebrand took the bowl to Diet­rich, but he was so angry that he refused to take it.

Then Hildebrand said: You still don't know who you're angry at, but you'll quickly find he is a hero, and not a scoundrel. Then he walked back to Witig and offered him the bowl again, and said: Now drink, and defend yourself with bravery, and may God help you. Then Witig took the bowl and drank, and with the bowl he also gave Hildebrand a golden armring and thanked him for his help.

Then Diet­rich called to Witig if he was ready, and Witig said he was.

Journey to Osning

100

Now they fought, and sparks flew from their weapons as though it was lightning, and the sound of their blows sounded like thunder, and they cleaved each other's shields so that they became useless, and still they fought on. Then Ecke gave Diet­rich a terrible blow and he dropped down, and Ecke dropped on top of him and grabbed both of his arms, and said that in order to save his life Diet­rich should surrender himself, his weapons, and his horse, and come to the castle to be shown bound to the queens.

Diet­rich said he preferred to lose his life hear than endure the taunts of the nine ladies and their mother. He managed to free his hands and take Ecke by the throat, and they fought with all their power.

When Falke, Diet­rich's stallion, became aware that his master needed help, he tore his rein with his teeth, ran to the two, lifted his forelegs and struck Ecke as hard as he could in the back. Diet­rich struggeled back to his feet and cut of Ecke's head.

Then Diet­rich took Ecke's weapons and armour and armed himself.

101

Diet­rich mounted Falke and rode out of the forest, and it was already first light. Diet­rich decided to ride to the castle of Drekanfils because he thought that, once the people of the castle knew he had overcome Ecke, he would get the same marriage or engagement with the queen and honour that Ecke had received An important passage in support of my theory — if a proper English translation shows the same meaning as this summary.

Now the queen had gone to a tower and she saw this man ride to the castle, and she was glad and went in and told her daughters that lord Ecke, who had left last night, returned on a good horse, and therefore he has defeated some good knight. And all of them took their jewels, dressed well, and went out to the rider. But when Diet­rich came near they saw that it was not Ecke who rode there, but another man. And when the old queen saw this, she understood what must have happened: she recognised the weapons and armour, but not the man, and Ecke would never have given them away. She fell unconscious. Then they went back in and told everything to the men of the castle, and dressed in their mourning garb and threw their jewels from them.

When the men heard Ecke had been killed they took their weapons and wanted to avenge him. When Diet­rich saw this overwhelming force he turned his horse and rode back into the forest as quickly as he could. He did not know where to go in this strange land, and since he had killed the lord of the land he knew that people would be unfriendly towards him. The men of the castle returned and were angry about Ecke's death.

104

Now it is said that Diet­rich wanted to go home because he had achieved his goal and knew that he would be no less famous than before. In the evening they came to Aldinsaela Ritter says that they formalised their oath here, since it was a place of justice and staid there for the night. In the morning they rode on and traveled through the wood called Rimslo, and there they saw an animal called elephant elefans; different word than in 118, which is the largest and strongest of all animals. Then Diet­rich asked Fasold if he would help him fight the animal, because when they could vanquish it they would have done a heroic deed.

Fasold excused himself because he still suffered from the wounds he had received in the duel. Besides, Diet­rich would be even more heroic if he'd kill the elephant by himself.

Thus Diet­rich dismounted, bound his horse to an olive tree, drew Eckisax, and attacked the animal. But the sword didn't bite, and the animal attacked him with its front legs, so that he fell. When Fasold saw this he decided to help as much as he could, dismounted, and attacked, but he couldn't wound it, either. Then he said to Diet­rich, who was laying under the beast: If you can get your hands free and take your sword, hit it in the belly near the navel, because I think it will bite there. But the beast pressed Diet­rich to the ground so hard that he could not move.

When Falke saw the danger his master was in he tore the rein, jumped on the animal and hit it with its front legs in the loin that the animal fell over. Now Diet­rich could free himself, took his sword and stabbed it in the belly to the hilt. Then Diet­rich jumped from under the animal, with blood on both his hands, and the animal fell over dead. Before, Fasold had given the animal many blows, but his sword didn't bite. Still, Diet­rich saw that Fasold wanted to help him loyally, Then they mounted on their horses and rode on.

Detlef the Dane

117

Now Detlef considered himself a man, and his father and mother also saw that he had honoured his parents by his good behaviour in battle. Then Detlef asked them for clothes, weapons, and gold because he wanted to travel to his grandfather in Sachsenland Oda's father to learn about other countries and customs, and get to know his relatives. His parents gave him what he wanted.

Then his father said that he should behave well while he was in Jutland, but if you go far into Sachsenland, as far as the place called Bern, and find Diet­rich, son of king Dietmar, then make sure never to fight with him or his heroes, because you can't withstand their strong strikes. And his helm is called Hildegrim, and his sword Eckensax, and his horse Falke. With him are many famous heroes, and make sure not to annoy them. But it might be better to stay with your grandfather in Sachsenland and come home afterwards. Detlef promised to do so.

And Biterolf went on: on the way to his grandfather Detlef would find the Burgwald, in which there was the place Marstein, and there lies a castle. You will find no one in the castle, but you will find a beautiful chair, and on the chair a horn. Blow that horn, and then he lord of that castle, my good friend Sigurd, will come. He is old, as white as a dove, and when you find him, tell him your father's name, so that he will receive you well. But even if you brought twelve men you could not fight against him. And Detlef promised to do so.

When Detlef left his parents gave him more good advice, and his mother gave him golden ring and her regards to her father. And Biterolf gave him twenty marks of gold, and then Detlef left.

125

Detlef didn't want to go into the king's hall for food and drink, but preferred to arrange things for himself. So when the feast started, Detlef went to the market with a few other boys servants? squires? and bought wine and mead, and bread so that even the king's dish wouldn't be better served with food and drink. And everything was brought to the inn, where Detlef gave a feast for the servants and squires, three days long.

And then all his 30 marks of gold were spent. Still, he didn't want to give up his feast while the king's went on, so again he went to the market and bought new food and drink, and he pawned Heime's horse Rispa and his sword Nagelring for ten marks of gold. And thus they ate and drank until everything was gone.

And Detlef went to the market again, and now he pawned Witig's horse Schimming and his sword Mimung for twenty marks of gold. Then he again invited his guests, and also he had the inn hung with tapestries.

And when everything was eaten and drunk the king's feast had gone on for seven days and would go on for two more. And again he went to the market, and when someone asked 12 pennies for something, he would bid 20. And he pawned Diet­rich's horse Falke, and his sword Eckisax and his helm Hildegrim for 30 marks of gold, and now he had no fewer than thirty hundreds of guests, servants and squires, fiddlers and minstrels. And on the day the feast ended, Detlef gave the golden ring his mother had given to him to the chief minstrel Isung It is important to treat your minstrels well! Said the minstrel, because Isung was the best of them all. And Detlef gave him purple clothes with golden seams, and those were the clothes of Diet­rich the king's son, and thus he rewarded Isung for his playing, and the other minstrels also got a mark or two of gold.

Dietrich's feast

188

Heime the Proud was a great warrior. After his duel with king Diet­rich 20 he remarked that Diet­rich's weapons and armour were wonderful, but not his horse, and offered to bring him a better one, and wagered his head that it was a much better horse than Diet­rich's current one. Diet­rich accepted, and promised that if Heime were to do this he would always be the first among all his men, except for master Hildebrand.

Then Heime rode home to his father Studa and took from his stud farm a filly, three winters old, named Falke. And this stallion he gave to king Diet­rich, and king Diet­rich rewarded him many times over.

189

Now king Diet­rich looked around him on both sides, and praised the heroes present at the feast. And he thought that, if they were all armed and on their horses, they could ride throughout the world peacefully, since no one would dare to fight against them. And if anyone was not afraid of them and attacked them, he would have condemned himself to death.

190

Now Herbrand the Wise, the king's banner bearer, said that Diet­rich was speaking out of ignorance, because Herbrand knew a country called Bertangaland, with a king named Isung, who is the strongest of all men and feared in duels, and he has eleven sons who are exactly like their father, and he has a banner bearer called Sigfrid, who is so great and wonderful in all heroic things that no better man can be found.

His skin is like horn everywhere, and few weapons bite him. His sword is Gram, and his horse is Grani, a brother of Falke Diet­rich's horse, Schimming Witig's horse, and Rispa Heime's horse. Gram, too, is the best of all swords, and so are all his other weapons.

If you would fight this man, you would say before you returned home, if you returned at all, that you've never been in this much danger.

The Wilkinen wars

297

Then Diet­rich said to master Hildebrand: We should send a messenger to king Attila, if we can find someone who is courageous enough to do so. And Hildebrand said: No one is better suited than Wildeber the hero. And Diet­rich asked Wildeber to take on this mission.

But Wildeber replied: I am seriously wounded, so I cannot ride through such a great army, although I will still fight for you. But ask your relative Wolfhart, he would be suitable.

So Diet­rich asked Wolfhart, who replied that Wildeber would be better suited, since he himself was younger and less experienced. But Diet­rich told him Wildeber was too wounded to travel. And Wolfhart agreed to the mission, but asked Diet­rich for his sword Eckisax and his helmet Hildegrim and his horse Falke, and Diet­rich granted him that.

303

Then king Diet­rich said: Bring my armour and weapons. And again: Bring my shield, for Didrik and I will meet today. When Diet­rich had armed himself he ordered his horse saddled and brought to him, and he mounted and rode as quickly as he could, but while he rode his wounds bled so that his armour and horse were all red.Now he rode to Wilkinenburg, where Fridrich Ermenrik's son had been killed 278 by Sibich's treason. On the tower of this castle stood the daughter of the jarl that ruled it, and she had seen Didrik travel, and now she saw a man ride after him, so she went to the tower as stealthily and quickly as she could.

And king Diet­rich came so close they could talk with one another, and he said: Lady, did you see a man ride past with a white armour and shield, and a grey horse? He is my companion, and I want to follow him to his realm. And she said she had seen him not long ago. Then Diet­rich spurred on his horse Falke and rode even faster than before.

Now the lady started to doubt that this man was a friend of the man that had come before, but rather wanted to kill him, and she deplored having said there was little distance between them. And she called out: Good lord, com here, I see that you are wounded. I will dress your wounds, and after that you can still ride after this man. Now your wounds bleed so much you may not reach him, but if you let me dress them you can overtake him all the quicker.

But Diet­rich didn't want to stop, and he rode off. And now she considered they were truly enemies, and that the one had wounded the other, and she didn't want to leave before she knew how the fight ended.

The battle of Gransport

321

Now Soest was filled with sounds of weapons, and shouts, and neighing of horses. The entire town was so full of men that no one could pass through, and no one could hear anyone unless they were close to them.

Now king Attila went up into a tower and called loudly: Hear me, men, and be quiet, and hear my commands. And the town fell silent.

Then the king said: Now a great army has gathered here, and now you must go as I will tell you. King Diet­rich will travel alone with his army, and my man margrave Rodinger will go with another part of the knights that I have given to king Diet­rich, and all the other men will follow my sons and young Diether. And all did as king Attile had commanded.

Now margrave Rodinger rode forth from Soest with his army. And Erp and Ortwin mounted, and in their following were duke Nudung of Walkaburg, who bore Diet­rich's banner presumably because of Diether's presence in this group?, and Wolfhart and Helfrich, both Diet­rich's relatives Helfrich's relation is not mentioned anywhere else, and the details of Wolfhart's are unclear..

And when the latter mounted queen Erka said: Good friend Helfrich, guard my sons well, and let them ride beside you when the armies meet. And Helfrich said: I swear by God, I won't come home from this war if I lose your sons. And queen Erka thanked him.

Now duke Nudung rode from Soest, and next Diether, and then Erp and Ortwin and the good knight Helfrich, then Wolfhart, and then all their warriors. Now king Diet­rich mounted his horse Falke, and master Hildebrand bore his banner and went before king Diet­rich, and then Wildeber and the warriors who followed Diet­rich's banner i.e. the personal retainers Diet­rich brought with him on his flight. And in these three groups there were no less than ten thousand knights which would give Diet­rich 7,000 knights; seems rather too much to me and a great lot of other people.

331

Now the six army groups met. Diet­rich rode in front on his good stallion Falke with his sword Eckisax, and killed men and horses on both sides, and before him rode master Hildebrand carrying his banner and slaying men with his free hand, and their companion Wildeber followed them, and many Amelungen from Sibich's army fell.

Then king Diet­rich called loudly: You have fought against the Reussen and Wilkinenmen, and we were usually victorious, but in this battle we fight for our lands and realm, so let's win great fame by reconquering it.

Now king Diet­rich rode in the middle of Sibich's army and slew man and horse, and when he had come in the middle he went back by another way, and he was much feared. And by another route Wildeber rode through the Amelungen army, and no man held against him.

Walther of Waskastein saw how much damage Wildeber was doing to the Amelungen, and how they fled for him, and rode against him and hit him with his spear in the breast so that it exited between the shoulder blades. And Wildeber struck off the spear's shaft and struck Walther's thigh in the saddle, and pierced the armour and his sword got stuck in the saddle, and both fell dead from their horses It is unclear to me why Walther would die instantly of this wound..

When Sibich saw that his banner had fallen, and the strong Walther with it, he turned his horse and fled, and his men with him. But king Diet­rich and his men pursued the fugitives for a long time and killed them all day long, and it took quite a while before he returned.

336

Then he turned his stallion Falke, spurred him on, and his entire army followed him, and he rode so quickly that nobody could keep up with him, and he was so angry that fire came forth from his mouth, and nobody dared to stand against him.

And when Witig saw that he fled, like the other men unclear which ones are meant. He had taken Diether's horse and fled to the Mosel river, but king Diet­rich rode after him. And he called to Witig: You evil dog, wait for me, I'll avenge my brother and you won't live much longer. If you have the courage to stand against one man, wait for me.

But Witig pretended he hadn't heard Diet­rich, and continued his flight. Diet­rich called again, and now Witig replied: I killed your brother out of necessity, and did it only to stay alive, and if I can pay you back with silver and gold I will.

But still he fled as quickly as his horse could go, but Diet­rich came after him. And thus Witig rode into the lake according to Ritter the lake where the Mosel flows into the Rhine, and Diet­rich had come very close. In this moment Witig sank into the lake, and king Diet­rich threw a spear at him, and the spear shaft struck the river mouth, and stayed there until this day, and anyone who goes there may see it.

Status: summary of 14 chapters complete.

Other parts

  1. Samson (1-13)
  2. Hildebrand and Heime (14-20)
  3. Wieland the Smith (57-79)
  4. Witig (80-95)
  5. Journey to Osning (96-107)
  6. Witig and Heime (108-110,134-137,146-151)
  7. Detlef the Dane (111-129)
  8. Amelung, Wildeber, and Herbrand (130-133)
  9. Wildeber and Isung (138-145)
  10. Sigmund and Sisibe (152-161)
  11. Sigfrid's youth (162-168)
  12. Origins of the Niflungen (169-170)
  13. Dietrich's feast (171-191)
  14. The road to Bertangaland (192-199)
  15. The tournament (200-222)
  16. Dietrich's fellowship falls apart (223-226,240)
  17. Gunther and Brunhild (227-230)
  18. Walther and Hildegund (241-244)
  19. Ake and Iron (269-275)
  20. Dietrich's flight (276-290)
  21. The Wilkinen wars (291-315)
  22. The battle of Gransport (316-341)
  23. Sigfrid's death (342-348)
  24. Hertnit and Isung (349-355)
  25. Grimhild's revenge (356-394)